Food Systems: Why Should We Care?

In our latest episode, we sit down with Dr. Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute, professor at University of Guelph, and global leader in understanding agri-food technology, climate change, and the future of food.

We break down what a food system is, why it matters, and the crucial role individuals and families play in shaping healthier, more sustainable systems. We also explore the rapidly evolving agri-food field, how it’s changing, and what young people should know as they step into the future of food.

Oh and we talk about peanut butter cups.

About Dr. Evan Fraser, PhD

Evan Fraser is Director of the Arrell Food Institute and a professor of geography at the University of Guelph. He is a global leader in understanding agri-food technology, climate change, and the future of food and one of Canada’s most cited scientists working on food and sustainability.

He is an award-winning  author , with five books, over 150  academic  publications  and  opinion  editorials  in  mainstream  media outlets.  His  2010  book , Empires  of  Food:  Feast,  Famine  and  the  Rise  and  Fall  of  Civilizations , was shortlisted for the James Beard Food  Literature  Award,  his  2020  book,  Uncertain  Harvest,  was awarded an honourable mention by the Science Writers of Canada.

Fraser sits on numerous boards that advise government, industry, and charities. He was an inaugural co-chair of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, a multi- stakeholder  group  that  advises  the  Minister  of  Agriculture on the implementation of Canada’s food policy. As vice chair of the Maple Leaf Center for Food Security, he helps direct funding to community groups across Canada and as a scientific mentor for Creative Destruction Labs he works with agri-food technology start- ups and entrepreneurs. Fraser is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and held a Canada Research Chair between 2010- 2020. He was also a Fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau foundation, acted as a scientific advisor to Genome Quebec and Proteins Industries Canada, and was a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars.

He is a member of the HLPE-FSN Steering Committee since 2023. He is a national of Canada and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelan